Nishla is a singer and songwriter who defies easy categorisation. Her live sets include a breathtaking variety of material: from celebrated originals to dark jazz standards and devastating ballads.

One of Manchester Jazz Festival’s talent development artists and a prolific collaborator, Nishla has worked with some of the most highly respected jazz and classical musicians in the UK. Last summer she played at Lancaster and Manchester Jazz Festivals, before making her first visit east with a residency at the Sage Gateshead.

Nishla is currently working on a narrative song cycle produced by Opera North, and her original project will start the year with shows at NQ Jazz, The Vortex and Jazz Leeds. She will be joined by a stellar band: Manchester’s Rich Jones (Beats & Pieces) on keys and Newcastle’s John Pope (Archipelago) on bass.

Born into an artistic family in Tirana, Albania, in 1981, Elina Duni made her first steps on the stage as a singer aged five, singing for National Radio and Television. In 2017 Elina Duni was one of the recipient of the Swiss Music Prize.

The project entitled “Partir” featuring Elina Duni as a soloist (accompanying herself on piano, acoustic guitar and percussion), has been released on record in April 2018 on ECM.

A creative junction between its members’s distinct influences, TRIO FCT combines contemporary improvisation with memorable folk-inspired melodies. Sitting somewhere within the spectrum of folk/jazz/ambient soundscapes, the trio whip up tunes from the torrents of timbre, conjuring silence only to cram it full with riffs.

Tori Freestone has been creating a stir in the UK and abroad in recent years winning prestigious awards and receiving rave reviews and 2019 will see her and her trio back in action with an exciting new release ‘El Mar de Nubes’ on ‘Whirlwind Recordings’. Showcasing her unique writing style which takes inspiration from the chordless trios of the moment infused with sounds from her roots in folk the new release also has Latin and Brazilian elements influenced by spending much of her youth and adult life in the Canary Islands where she composed the album.

“Freestone has clearly listened widely, but her musicality and broad experiences have stirred all that input into an imposingly original sound” – John Fordham (The Guardian)

“Freestone has caused a stir far beyond the UK… an impressive original and formidable trio” – Austria Review

“she’s got a real burn to her playing ..with weaving lines and constant listening, supporting and interacting from the bass and drums…my ears never get tired” – Ingrid Jensen (Jazz Times)

This concert is presented by Jazz North East in association with Newcastle Arts Centre

Durham University Big Band is a fully-auditioned, student-run, eighteen-piece big band comprising the best jazz musicians in the university. With a large repertoire ranging from traditional big band swing to hip hop, latin and neo-soul, DUBB are incredibly versatile in the types of venues and settings they are able to perform in. An ambitious musical attitude has led the band to perform at multiple university and college events as well as internationally renowned jazz clubs across the country. DUBB have won multiple awards at The Great North Big Band Competition over recent years and have worked with well-known jazz professionals and educators including Mark Armstrong, Pete Churchill, and Ben Cotrell

Jake Walker is a swing and Dixieland jazz band from Ghent in Belgium, and draw a great crowd of dancers wherever they play, inside and out! They play a fabulous mix of original songs and arrangements reminiscent of Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Louis Armstrong. Just picture a sunny Sunday afternoon, having just finished a fabulous IpSwing lunch and dancing to this great band!

*advance price applies to tickets purchased up to one hour before advertised start time. Advance tickets available from The Jazz Cafe / Please note doors open 30 minutes prior to start times. Cafe service Tuesday-Saturday from 12 noon. Bar Service on event evenings. Not all events have wheelchair access. Contact venue in advance.